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Lasers: Too Fast for Satellite?

February 27, 2020 by Shivaprakash Muruganandham | NSR

The last few years have seen increased optical activity
as network operators look to new technologies as an
emerging alternative to RF. Optical is expected to
address challenges of the RF comms ecosystem, especially
around data rates, link availability, reliability and
security. While such technological advantages are a
welcome change,
other factors such as cost and market maturity will play
a key role in the adoption of optical wireless
communications in space. In other words, will
the use of lasers in our industry keep pace with the
(very) high expectations to deliver increasing volumes
of data over satellite networks?

As of 2019,
plans for more than 25,500 satellites to launch have
been announced, ranging from Comms and Earth
Observation to M2M/IoT and Space Situational Awareness
applications. More than one such constellation has
proposed the use of optical Inter-Satellite Links
(ISLs), and these are expected to be the
real enabler of large volume production of Laser
Communication Terminals (LCTs) in the coming
decade.

Then There Was Light

Despite being an unproven technology for such a use
case, LCTs provide the dual benefit of circumventing
regulatory constraints associated with landing rights
and drastically decrease the number of ground stations
required. As such,
NSR expects major constellation operators to slowly ramp
up on the adoption of LCTs on their satellites
and develop ISL-enabled constellations in phases.

NSR’s
Optical Satellite Communications, 2nd
Edition report projects a
$3.8 billion cumulative opportunity through the coming
decade for space-based laser communications.
Despite recent moves across the value chain, the market
remains largely a hardware play, with a
majority of the revenues flowing to equipment
manufacturers, growing at a CAGR 10.1% in the
2019-2029 period.

Last summer, BridgeSat announced its rebranding to
BridgeComm, to signify its deepening involvement in
markets adjacent to the space sector alone,
with the aim of being a provider of optical wireless
communications (OWC) at a larger scale. Alongside
ongoing advances in 5G, the
coupling of terrestrial and aerospace connectivity
markets is more apparent in the case of laser-based
communication solutions.

R&D efforts into free-space optical (FSO) comms on the
ground are expected to spur advances in the satellite
world, further blurring the line between space and
terrestrial comms solutions. Organizations with an
expertise in high-end optoelectronics and photonics have
now begun to delve into the satellite world, in some
cases,
partnering with satcom market players to develop
integrated products and services in the future.
BridgeComm’s partnership with French photonics startup,
Cailabs, to adopt the latter’s Multi-Plane Light
Conversion technology into its OWC solutions is one such
move. The Netherlands’ TNO is driving such innovation by
bringing together various Dutch organizations involved
in optical systems (VDL, Nedinsco etc.) and space
(Airbus DS, Hyperion Technologies etc.).

But Shadows Too

However, this market is not wrought without its
challenges. Over the last year alone, we have seen
at least two space businesses close down due to funding
issues, both systems which were expected to be
built on laser-com linked satellite constellations:
LeoSat and Audacy.

When LeoSat suspended operations in late 2019 due to a
lack of investment, it was seen as the
first casualty of the LEO HTS constellations race,
wherein laser links were a core component of its
proposed satellite system. Meanwhile, despite MoUs from
customers and an FCC approval,
Audacy faced difficulties in securing the right
product-market fit as an investment opportunity.

Developments in space alone are only half the story. To
really capture the space markets, the
ground segment will remain a key element to be addressed
in the roadmap towards an integrated optical
communications infrastructure (such as that
proposed by Laser Light Communications, for
instance).

Ground station operators such as KSAT have actively
pursued partnerships in the past year with the goal
of introducing full optical communication capabilities
for upcoming small satellite missions. Mynaric,
meanwhile, has moved from project to product, with
production of optical ground stations and lasercom
terminals going side-by-side. On the other hand,
owing to the inherent technological challenges of
space-ground
lasercom, services will be limited to a few niche
applications alone in the near-term, ranging
from EO data downlink services to trunking/backhaul
communications.
RF then, is expected to dominate the ground segment for
the foreseeable future in most other applications.

The Bottom Line

As NSR
noted in the past, optical today is where RF was a
few decades ago. Technology exchange between terrestrial
and space-based communications players is expected to
drive the development of next-gen solutions, as the
addressable market pie increases to include the wider
communications sector.

At present, the adoption of optical is contingent on
many factors,
most important being that constellations are able to
close business cases and attract the right funding.
Ground infrastructure development remains a significant
challenge from both a technology and business
perspective and will need to be realized before the
business of optical satcom can really see the light.